American History and Genealogy Project

State of Mississippi

414 Page

Mississippi, one of the southern
United States, is bounded n. by Tennessee; e. by Alabama; s. by
the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana; and w. by Pearl and
Mississippi Rivers, which separate it from the state of
Louisiana and Arkansas. It is between 30° 10' and 35° n. lat.,
and between 80° 30' and 81° 35' w. Ion., and between 8° and 11°
30' w. Ion. from w. It is 339 miles long from, n. to s., and 150
broad from e. to w., containing 45,760 square miles, or
29,286,400 acres. The population in 1816 was 45,929; in 1820,
75,448; in 1830, 136,806; in 1840, 375,651, of which 195,211
were slaves. Of the free population 97,256 were white males;
81,818 do. females; 715 were colored males; 654 do. females.
Employed in agriculture, 139,724; in commerce, 1,303; in
manufactures and trades, 4,151; navigating the ocean, 33; do.
rivers, canals, &c., 100; learned professions 1,506.

This state is divided into 56 counties, which with their
population in 1840, and their capitals were as follows:

County, Population, Capital

Northern District

Southern District

Attala, 4,303, Kosciusko

Adams, 19,434, Natchez

Bolivar, 1,356, Bolivar

Amite, 9,511, Liberty

Carroll, 10,481, Carrollton

Claiborne, 13,078, Port Gibson

Chickasaw, 2,955, Houston

Clarke, 2,986, Quitman

Choctaw, 6,010, Greensboro

Copiah, 8,954, Gallatin

Coahoma 1,290, Coahoma C. H.

Covington, 2,717, Williamsburg

De Soto, 7,002, Hernando

Franklin 4,775, Meadville

Itawamba, 5,375, Fulton

Greene, 1,636, Leakeville

Lafayette, 6,531 Oxford

Hancock, 3,367, Shieldsborough

Lowndes, 14,513, Columbus

Harrison, Mississippi City

Marshall, 17,526, Holly Springs

Hinds, 19,098, Raymond

Monroe, 9,250, Athens

Holmes, 9,452, Lexington

Noxubee, 9,975, Macon

Jackson, 1,965, Jackson C. H.

Octibbeha, 4,276, Starkville

Jasper, 3,953, Paulding

Ponola, 4,657, Ponola

Jefferson, 11,650, Fayette

Pontotoc, 4,491 Pontotoc

Jones, 1,253, Ellisville

Tallahatchie, 2,935, Charleston

Kemper 7,663, DeKalb

Tippah, 9,444, Ripley

Lauderdale, 5,358, Marion

Tishamingo, 6,631, Jacinto

Lawrence, 5,920, Monticello

Tunica, 821, Peyton

Leake, 2,162, Cathage

Winston, 4,650, Louisville

Madison, 15,530, Canton

Yalabusha, 12,248, Coffeeville

Neshoba, 2,437, Philadelphia

...

Newton, 2,527, Decatur

...

Perry, 1,839, Augusta

...

Pike, 6,151, Holmesville

...

Rankin, 4,631, Brandon

...

Scott, 1,653, Hillsborough

...

Simpson, 3,330, Westville

...

Smith, 1,961, Raleigh

...

Warren, 15,820, Vicksburg

...

Washington, 7,287, Princeton

...

Wayne, 2,120, Winchester

...

Wilkinson, 14, 193, Woodville

,,,

Yazoo 10,430, Benton

The southern part of this state for
about 100 miles from the Gulf of Mexico is mostly a sand level
pine forest, interspersed with cypress swamps, open prairies,
and inundated marshes, and few hills of moderate elevation. This
region is generally healthy, and by cultivation production
cotton, Indian corn, indigo, sugar, and plums, cherries,
peaches, figs, sour oranges, and grapes, you proceed further
north, the country becomes more elevated and agreeably
diversified, and t soil is a deep rich mold, producing
abundantly, cotton, Indian corn, sweet Potatoes, indigo, peach
melons, and grapes. The natural growth of timber consists of
poplar, hickory, oak, black vain sugar maple, cotton wood,
magnolia, lime, and sassafras. The country in the north pan of t
state is healthy and productive; and the lands watered by the
Yazoo, through its whole course in the n. w., are very fertile.
The Mississippi River, with its various windings, borders this
state about 700 miles; and its margin consists of inundated
swamp, covered with a large growth timber. Back of this, the
surface suddenly rises into what are called bluffs; and behind
the country is a moderately elevated table land, with a
diversified surface. Cotton is the principal production of this
state, as it is found to be more profitable than others to which
the soil is also w adapted.

In this state there were in 1840, 109,227 horses and mules;
623,197 neat cattle; 128,367 she< 1,001,209 swine; poultry to
the value of $369,482. There were produced 196,626 bushels of
wheat 1,654 of barley; 668,624 of oats; 11,444 of rye;
13,161,237 of Indian corn; 175,196 pounds wool; 6,835 of wax;
1,630,100 bushels of Potatoes; 83,471 pounds of tobacco; 777,195
of rice 193,401,577 of cotton. The produce of the dairy was
valued at $359,585; of the orchard at $14,485; of lumber
$192,794; tar, pitch, &c, 2,248 barrels.

The climate is mild, but very variable. The extremes of heat and
cold at Natchez, for 1840, were from 26 to 94 of Fahrenheit. The
sugar cane and orange tree cannot be cultivated with success of
lat. 31°

Page 415

The Mississippi River washes the entire western border of this
state. The Yazoo is the largest river that has its whole course
in the state. It rises in the n. w. part, and after a course of
250 miles, enters the Mississippi. The Pascagoula River, after a
course of 250 miles, enters the Gulf of Mexico. At its mouth it
widens into a bay, on which stands the town of Pascagoula. It in
navigable for a considerable distance for small vessels. The Big
Black River, after a course of 200 miles, enters the Mississippi
just above Grand Gulf. It has a boat navigation of 50 miles.
Pearl River rises in the central part of this state and passes
through it to the s., and in its lower part forms the boundary
between this state and Louisiana, and enters the Rigolet between
lakes Pontchartrain and Borgne. Its navigation is much impeded
by shallows, sandbars, and obstructions of timber. Homochitto is
a considerable river which enters the Mississippi. Besides these
here are a few other small rivers and creeks. A chain of low
sandy islands, 6 or 7 miles from the shore, enclose several bays
or sounds, the largest of which are Pascagoula Sound and Lake
Borgne, which lies partly in Louisiana.

This state has but 60 miles of seacoast, and no harbor for that
distance but that of Mississippi City, which does not admit of
large vessels. The largest and most commercial place in the
state s Natchez, on the e. bank of the Mississippi, situated
chiefly on a high bluff, 300 feet above the level of the river,
and 300 miles above New Orleans. Vicksburg, 106 miles above
Natchez, and 12 miles below the mouth of the Yazoo River, is a
growing place and has an extensive trade. The other principal
places are, Jackson, on Pearl River; Woodville, 18 miles from
the Mississippi, in the s. w. part of the state; Port Gibson,
and Grand Gulf, its port on the Mississippi; Columbus, m the
Tombigbee; and Pontotoc and Hernando, in the n., and Mississippi
City, on the gulf shore.

There were in this state in 1840, 7 commercial and 67 commission
houses engaged in foreign trade, with a capital of $673,900; 755
retail drygoods and other stores, employing a capital of
$5,004,420; 228 persons engaged in the lumber trade, employing a
capital of $132,175; 40 persons employed in internal
transportation, and 15 butchers, packers, &c, employing a
capital of $4,250. The amount of homemade or family articles was
$682,945; there were 53 cotton manufactories, with 318 spindles,
employing 81 persons, producing articles to the amount of
$1,744, with a capital :f $6,420; hats and caps were produced to
the amount of $5,140, employing 13 persons, with a capital of
$8,100; 128 tanneries employed 149 persons, and a capital of
$70,870; 42 other manufactories of leather, as saddleries, &c.,
produced articles to the amount of $118,167, and employed a
capital of $41,945; 1 pottery, employing 2 persons, produced to
the amount of $1,200, with a capital of $200; 4 persons produced
drugs and paints to the amount of $3,125, with a capital of
$500; 2 persons produced confectionery to the amount of $10,500;
274 persons produced machinery to the amount of $242,225; 693
persons produced bricks and lime to the amount of 273,870, with
a capital of $222,745; there were produced 312,084 pounds of
soap, 31,957 do. of tallow candles, and 97 do. of spermaceti
candles; 132 persons produced carriages and wagons to the amount
of $49,693, with a capital of $34,345; 16 flouring mills
produced 1,809 barrels of flour, and with other mills employed
923 persons, and manufactured articles to the amount of
$486,864, with a capital of $1,219,845; vessels were built to
the amount of $13,925; furniture was manufactured by 41 persons,
to the amount of $34,450, with a capital of $28,610; 14
distilleries produced 150 gallons, and 2 breweries produced 132
gallons, employing 12 persons, and a capital of $910; 14 stone
or brick houses, and 2,247 wooden houses, were built by 2,487
persons, and cost $1,175,513; 28 printing offices, and 1
bindery, 2 daily, 1 semi-weekly, and 28 weekly newspapers,
employed 94 persons, and a capital of $83,510. The whole amount
of capital employed in manufactures as $1,797,727.

There are three colleges in this state. Jefferson College, at
Washington, 6 miles E. of Natchez, as founded in 1802, and has
been liberally endowed; Oakland College, at Oakland, was founded
1831, and is a flourishing institution; Mississippi College, at
Clinton, was founded in 1830. In these institutions there were
in 1840, about 250 students. There were in the state 71
academies, with 2,553 students; and 382 primary and common
schools, with 8,236 scholars. There were 8,360 white persons
over 20 years of age who could neither read nor write.

The Methodists and Baptists are the most numerous religious
denominations in this state. In 35, the Methodists had 53
travelling preachers, and 9,707 communicants; the Baptists had
84 churches, 34 ministers, and 3,199 communicants; the
Episcopalians had 4 ministers; the Presbyterians of different
descriptions had 32 churches, and 26 ministers.

In the beginning of 1840, there were 38 banks and branches in
this state, with an aggregate capitol of $30,379,403, and a
circulation of $15,171,639. At the close of 1840, the state debt
amounted to $12,400,000.

The constitution of this state was formed in 1817. The governor
is elected by the people, for years, on the first Monday of
August. A lieutenant-governor is chosen at the same time for the
ne period, who is president of the senate; and, in case of the
death, resignation, or absence of the governor, his duties
devolve on the lieutenant-governor. The senators are elected for
three years, one third of the number being chosen annually. They
cannot be less than one fourth, nor more than one third of the
whole number of the representatives. The representatives are
elected annually on the first Monday in August, in the ratio of
one to every 3,000 white inhabitants. Each county, however, is
entitled to one, though the number of its inhabitants should not
equal that number. The general assembly meets annually at
Jackson, on the first Monday of November. Every free white male
citizen of the United States, of 21 years of age, who has
resided in the state one year next preceding the election, and 6
months in the county, city, or town in which lie offers to vote,
and is enrolled in the militia, unless exempt from military
duty, or has paid a state or county tax, enjoys the right of
suffrage. The judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the
general assembly, and hold their offices during good behavior,
or until they are 65 years of age.

Page 416

The following works of internal improvement have been
undertaken. West Feliciana railroad extends from St.
Francisville, in Louisiana, on the Mississippi, 273 miles, to
Woodville, in Mississippi, and cost $500,000. Vicksburgh and
Clinton railroad extends from Vicksburgh, 45 miles, to Jackson,
the capital of the state, with a branch to Raymond, 6½ miles.
The New Orleans and Nashville railroad will extend through this
state. The Mississippi railroad, to extend from Natchez, 112
miles to Jackson, is finished to Malcom, a distance of 40 miles.
The Jackson and Brandon railroad is 14 miles long, and connects
these places. The Grand Gulf and Port Gibson railroad is 7½ mile
long, connecting the two places. Several other railroads are
proposed, which are those from Natchez to Woodville, 41 miles;
from Manchester to Benton, 14 miles; from Princeton to Dee
Creek, 20 miles; from Brandon to Mobile, and from Columbus to
Aberdeen.

In 1716, the French formed a settlement where the city of
Natchez now stands, and laid claim to the country as belonging
to Louisiana. This colony was afterward destroyed by the Indians
in the vicinity. In 1763, the country was ceded to the British.
North of the 31st degree of n. lat this territory was within the
chartered limits of Georgia. In 1795, the legislature of Georgia
sold 22,000,000 acres of land in this state, called the Yazoo
purchase, to 4 companies, for $500,000, who subsequently sold it
at an advanced price to various persons, mostly in the eastern
and middle states. The next year the legislature declared the
sale unconstitutional, and ordered the record of it to be
burned, without refunding the money. The part of this state
south of lat. 31° n. belonged to Florida, and was purchased with
it by the United States, of Spain, in 1821. In 1798 this state
together with Alabama were constituted a territory under the
name of the Mississippi Territory, and continued under tins
government until 1817, when this state formed a constitution and
was admitted to the Union.

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